Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/275/1 - 1918 - 1938 - Part 4

2

2 M.C. of the 34^th, who left with him the order to attack

at 11 p.m.  McMinn got the same order at 9.30.

They both told Capt. Percy that there was not time.

Held over They only had time to write to the Companies

telling them their objectives & the time of the barrage.

_______      _______ A map was sent received with the order.

D(Alpha) C(Alpha)

_______     _______ The night was intensely dark. Beaver

2plns C33  2plns C33

& his C.S.M went forward picking up one

platoon and reached an assembly positn but

there was no chance of seeing whether other

platoons were there when the barrage fell. They

advanced behind it until it stopped, when

Beaver stopped his men on what he understood

was the objective.  He then sought for his own

platoons & found them; later he looked for 2 hrs

w his CSM (?name) for McMinn but cdn't find

him.  He was going (as he thought) back to his line

when he heard 18-pounders firing behind him &

realised that he was going towards the enemy.

He decided that, as McM. cdnt be found, he

must refuse his flank, & so strung it back from

the right of the 150^x of pothole line [? from the Pr trench

facing S.] towards the ^old picket line. It was very much

strung out. This position was handed over later to

the 17 Bn.

[*8 May.

9Bde rept/5.15 am.

It ws reptd tt

we had line K19A99-91

& P.at c88. Our men

seen abt K 19c85

but nothing known

of posn there.

1 of 29 Bn reptd at

K25A27.*]

HN

Morlancourt  May 1918. 34 Bn.

Capt Cains & Lt Lilja.

Had a long sitting with both Cains & Lilja this

morning (5 May 1937), with Cains's message book

in front of us ; and we thrashed out the course

of events as follows.

Lilja had to patrol on the right of the BC road ; but in

the fighting from May 5/6 on he was on left of BC rd.

[*Lilja once lost his
way there (when?)*]

4/5 May 1918  Lilja took out No 2 Patrol.

They got up to German wire which was

pretty strong on the crest - looked for a 

way through it, & then lay up so close

[*?*] to it that ^one of Lilja's men (name?) was

translating to him what the Germans said

in their trench.

They saw a German patrol behind them

but knew that another patrol was out,

so didn't do anything. Then they heard the

shots & sho heard a German's muffled shout as

someone put a hand over his mouth. Later

some figures came out from rear towards the

patrol.  Corpl George Morgan had his gun on

them & was about to fire when ^a German flare went up Lilja recognised Rosenthal!

recognised to Rosenthal saw he was going in / wrong direction 

& turned.

2.

The Cains' Company of 34^th which was lent to the 35^th for

this stunt was told to leave its kit and move area

without it as it would be relieved at dawn

(by a pln of D Coy).  Actually it stayed in for 4 days

& its kit was pinched before it returned.

By At 12.10 am Cains wrote that both trenches were taken, 5-10 prisoners, 1 m.g. Prs not there.

The advance gave no trouble ^Tho' Pioneers were late & little wire came.  But south

[*Lilja & a L Gr (?Morgan)
silenced quickly a mg at
1st objve. LGs fired from hip
& L & his men w a splendid dash
outflanked / gun.
At 1. ^Prs. still not up.*]
At 2nd objve also he bombed a m.g. & captd gun & used it imdly for our defence.  Sgt Smedley
also rushed a p. at 1st objve & silenced a bombg p. at 2nd objve.
of the road the few men in Moncrief's ½ Coy
did not mop up the Germans.  There were
Germans among them in posts, & when
these threw bombs in the early morning the
posts thought the Germans had penetrated, &
withdrew to the road.
Cains found Bailey lying out along
the road ^(Delves was wd.), & gave him a written order to
attack the trench again.
[*3.55a Cains had no
rations - (he reptd
to 35). & only 6 coils
of wire & no pickets.
3.55a. To 34th. Objves
tn. Delves wd.
Forbes arrd but only has abt
10 men (Forbes ws apptly
No 16 pln - to relieve him
& he ws to withdraw).*]
3.55am Cains reptd tt "rt of rd seems in very
bad way & wanting assistance."
4.10. Cains gave Bailey written order to 
retake the trench S. of rd together w Mr Norman
"who had a L.Gun team & some men".
Cains had asked (on finding Bailey &
Forbes hopeless) if there was some officer
of A Coy who knew anything about the

3
position S. of the road.  Lieut. Norman said
that there were x few Germans there and all
that was needed was a bold advance &
these Germans would clear.  Seeing that Bailey
was not "for it" & simply sat & did nothing,
Cains, to protect himself , gave Bailey a
written order.  No man cleared the Germans Bailey was Norman cleared the Germans
out, himself orgg / c/attack.  He himself rushed & captd a G. m.g.
out, & Bailey(? & Forbes) reoccupied the line
but lost it again.
Note: At 8.30 am. Bde observer saw 50 Gs hopping over 10^x of open into trench at K19c88.  Arty put on did good work.
[*Strictly
Confidential.
& not necessarily
correct.
Lilja is a
very buoyant
spirited youngster
(Even at this date) and
painted a vivid picture,
but may not, after this
lapse ^of time, be
sure of details.*]
Cains Lilja says that Bailey & Forbes
were getting back along the main road and
as he could not stop then ^when he called, he fired at
them with his rifle - he was afraid the
whole line would go if they saw the officers
making rearwards.  He shot Forbes through
the foot & perhaps Bailey also - though probably
neither of them know it.  Bailey was wounded
before Norman c/attacked. [Cains wrote to
34^th tt Bailey had lost line & lined along main rd in a
dangerous posn.  He ws wd & Norman ws going to attack.
Could 34^th send them asstce at dusk?  Sitn "v. serious" esply
for Cains' right.  No wd yet from 35^th.

4
? aftn Betw 6.15pm. & 7pm May 6.
To 34 (in answer to H 6) Cains repts : "I am in a very
queer positn "No ords. No orders from 35 since yesty.  Only order from 34^th
came at 6.15pm. "Under whose commnd do I come now come?  Are
we to be reld tonight?"  Wants a L.G. to replace one disabled & 20 mags
What arrgts for rations as none recd since last night & no water.
"I retook trench system lost by Bailey this mg, making my
right secure. ^x Men cannot withdraw in daylight. ^(apptly. Asks for reply) ... I
know nothing of what is going on".
May 6
Cains' (abt 6.45 pm. May 6)
Day's Report. to 35^th 5 mgs & 20 - 30 prisrs tn - fair amt of shelling - 8 coils of
wire but no pickets.
7pm. Asks 35 if still under it or under 34.  Has only 8 coils of wire &
no pickets.
6.45pm. He recd Memo F21 (Frys order of 4.55 p. to Monfries to
attack at 7 after T.M. barrage.
9 Bde
ms/[7 May 12.15 am. 34 Bn repts to Bde that line from BC rd to 19 [shorthand] is "O.k."  Posts lined & covering tps out.  From 19 [shorthand]
to 25A 4.8. - 4 G. mgs met - some sniping, but all seems going well]
[*At 4.5 am.
34 repts steps
being tn to
clear p. at
K19c78, (wh
prevented trench
being tn.) & to
est. line before
6 a.m.
"Night has bn
pitch black" says 4 Bde.*]
7^th May.  Cains finds from Lt Bruce, who ws sent up to take over,
tt there is no one S. of B.C. road to take over from.
He had ∴ lined his men along B.C. rd. & sent to Fry for instrns.
Cains tells Fry tt postn, if lost, cd easily be retn.
Asks to be told as early as possible what is happening
Cain has 3 G. m.guns mounted for defence.
Apptly C. Coy ^(? or pt of B)or both) ws to have a go at the trench S. of rd
at about 8 30 breakfast time.  At 8.50 Cains got a
message from McMinn - Later he got one from the C.O. (probly to same effect)
message to clear his trench (.x that S of rd) as arty
was going to shell, it before attack at ?9 a.m., There any the trench
S. of B/C. road There was no time to clear trench nor ws it poss. to withdraw
- cd only tell men to lie as low as possible - and then
barrage passed over them.  TM Bty was shooting 300^x short.
Cains reptd this ^last to McMinn at 9.50 am & asked if he ws to carry on.
No attack took place after this bombdt.  Lilja got
leave from Cains to go back along road to Fry & explain.
He reached Bn H.Q. and Fry arranged that B Coy shd attack

5
at 2 p.m.  Lilja asked that the T.M. barrage shd be lengthend
by 300^x, as it was short.  Fry was not convinced,
- McMinn ws observing from a tree further back & perhaps had sd it ws O.K. -
but L. went on to Mailer, the T.M. Cdr, and
(thinking he himself would have to do the stunt)
said, "Now look here, dont you worry about what
"he (Fry) says.  I've got to do the job, & if there's
"anything wrong w / barrage it's I tt will be
"suffer suffered.  You just put it down 300^x ahead of
"where you did last time and that'll do me".
Lilja returned to Cains and found tt he
wasn't to do the stunt - but Nicklin & Hubbard.
So he went out along the road - two or three
sumph holes ahead of the line - and put ^his Lewis
Gr (Morgan) to watch the enemy w a L. Gun,
from / next sumph hole, and then with Pte
Herring (the gas Corporal) a reliable man ^ - & Capt Cains observing - he fired
off No 36 Mills bombs from / cap attachment in direct
enfilade of the Germans front.  Cains hated bombs,
and the first discharge, fired just over his head,
sent him backwards into the sumph-hole.
Lilja Nicklin & Hubbard got in & / trench was held
from that time.
Cain was supposed to have nothing to do

6
with the fighting S. of B/C road.  It was a
night mare of mismanagement, he said.
Lt Nicklin says that about 20 young
Germans came up from the SE & gave themselves
up as prisoners on the morning of the nights during which
he held the line.
On the first mg (May 6) a German
officer walked unknowingly straight on to up to his
front.  They called to him to surrender but
he tried to get away & was shot by N.

H.N.
39 Bn. Morlancourt. May 5-8. 1918.
39 Bn [?]/198
On May 5/6  2 L.G. Sectns of 39^th ^were establd ahead of 39^th's trenches by under Lt Herbert
Fredk Miles whose
pty aftwds retd without loss.
6/7  More ps. were to be put out but heavy rain
stopped it.
7/8.  Two large fightg patrols went out & estd 4 S.Ps.
ahead of C Coy.  They gave good obsn of Ml S.
Gs shelled them heavily & Lt Miles, in c. of one,
ws k.
8.  Newton T.Ms. (6 in) fired 100 rds on ^Sunken rd S of Ville.  That night
3 Gs came over to Aust lines & surrendered - sd tt bombt
had infld many cas s.
9.30 p.m. that night 2 fightg patrols, each 20 str. under
Lts SW. Gration & R.H. Overton sent out. To
push thro Village est. line E of it.  Got within 100^x, &
then heard 40 Bn patrols attg a S.P. on left.
39 held up by heavy m.g. from village.  Col. Paterson
knowing tt it wd be folly to try to att. infd Bde H.Q. tt he
ws withdrg . Sig. Offr of 40 Bn (in tel. Commn) was also infd.
39 had no Cas.

H.N.
Lieut Nicklin - Morlancourt.  May 4 - 10, 1918
Was with Cains' Coy when it attacked
with the 35^th.  N. was the youngest officer & this his first stunt.
N. lost his own platoon before the start, &,
with his Sergeant, went forward beside the B.C.
[*Lilja says that he
& others found pt of
the Coy line up on
or parallel to B/C
rd, facing S.*]
road until the Sgt, who was ahead, ran almost
into the German trench.  There was a stir among
the Germans and the two only got back by short
rushes.  Even then they could not find their platoon
until the barrage fell when they saw them at once
against the shell bursts.  The barrage was good.
They had no trouble in the advance - the
Germans were very young & surrendered at
once, north o / road.  Nicklin and his pln were
sent ^50 yds out to cover the xxxxxxxxxx digging in
When day came the Sgt (?) saw a round
disc sticking up from a little hammock ahead.
it looked to him like the mouth of a machinegun
& he insisted on going out to see.  It proved to
be one, & he brought it in and they set it up
ready for use, but didn't have to use it.
Meanwhile the trench had been deepened.

2
5/6 or 6/7 May.
LNxx  That night (or the next) Lieut. Norman did the
work of A Coy South of the road, bombing out the
Germans, with only two or three men.  The trench
was only a series of potholes and Norman
couldn't hold it when he got it; but he got his
M.C. for this.
Hubbard came in, on the night of the
6^th/7^th on B Coy's right, at the road.  As
the pothole trench hadn't been taken the order
came to attack it at 2p.m. Lt. Lilja, hearing
that they were to attack, himself went back
along the road (crawling along the side of it
this was possible) and saw the T.M. officer and
arranged for the barrage of T.M. shells.  Hubbard's
pln was lined along / rd, with Nicklin's next to it.
Diagram - see original document
Lilja & Cains crawled
out ahead and
bombed the Germans
with rifle grenades
& then the platoons
advanced by section
rushes, as fast as they
could to the potholes.  There was lots of fire from m.gs.
further back and 3 or 4 men were hit in that small